Michigan

Lincoln boy keeps up with his class via webcam

Alan Warren, The Ann Arbor NewsNeill Penney, 7, smiles as he watches his fellow students show him their Valentine's Day artwork on a webcam from his home in Ypsilanti Township on Feb. 12. Penney is battling leukemia so he is taking part in the class from his home. Penney was making his own artwork along with the class.

"This is the perfect solution. I would advocate for using this to help other kids in similar situations."- Elizabeth Penney, Neill's mother

By LIZ COBBSThe Ann Arbor News

Students in Debby Seaton's first-grade class at Lincoln's Childs Elementary School were recently working on Valentine's Day cards and envelopes.

"Neill, do you have some of those plastic cards?" Seaton asked 7-year-old Neill Penney.

"Which ones?" Neill asked.

Seaton described the materials.

"Neill, can you move your camera so we can see you more?" Seaton asked, while looking at Neill through a TV mounted in a corner of her classroom.

For the first time in her 24-year career, Seaton is teaching a student who is not physically present in her classroom. Neill is battling leukemia while keeping up with his class via a small, real-time web camera attached to a personal computer at his home.

Seaton's webcam sits on a desk in front of the classroom and connects to a laptop on her desk. Students sit up front by the camera when Seaton gives directions or reads stories. A long wire allows Seaton to move the camera when needed.

The district is treading into new territory using technology this way, said John McGehee, Lincoln Schools technology director. Seaton and the Penneys use an online Internet service that allows them to dial each other up.

Alan Warren, The Ann Arbor NewsTeacher Debby Seaton instructs her class at Childs Elementary School as student Neill Penney, (on television set at upper right), watches from a webcam from his home in Ypsilanti Township on Feb. 12.

"I'm cognizant of the fact that we are setting a precedent with this," McGehee said. "It's a wonderful first step to help a young man along his journey to recovery keep in touch with his classmates."

No one is happier than Neill.

"I like it a lot," Neill said after turning off the camera when his class went to lunch. Neill said he usually eats lunch at the same time, then turns the camera back on when the class returns.

Sometimes when the students are gone, Seaton's paraprofessional Norma Viers or student teacher Heather Mesquiti help Neill with the work he missed during doctor's appointments.

Elizabeth Penney said she and her husband, Chris, are grateful that Seaton is open to using a webcam for their son.

"This is the perfect solution," Elizabeth Penney said. "I would advocate for using this to help other kids in similar situations."

When Neill missed first grade during the 2006-07 school year, a homebound teacher came to the house twice a week. But that wasn't enough, Penney said.

Neill started school last fall to repeat the first grade, but had to stop after he relapsed in October, his mother said. In December, Neill had a bone marrow transplant, meaning an expected long-term recovery at home.

Penney said the webcam idea stemmed from a meeting with staff from the school district and the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital about a plan for Neill's educational needs.

Alan Warren, The Ann Arbor NewsStudent Teacher Heather Mesquiti shows some artwork to Neill Penney, 7, as he watches from a webcam from his home in Ypsilanti Township on Feb. 12. Penney is battling leukemia so he is taking part in the class from his home.

That plan turned into reality with help from the school district, parents and community members.

Childs' Parent and Teacher Team held a "Pennies for Penney" fundraiser in November to purchase webcams and help the Penneys with their expenses, said PATT member Maggie Penhorwood, whose son is in Neill's class.

Penhorwood, who coordinated the fundraiser, sent out flyers - and one went to the home of Brandon Boyle, a 16-year-old junior at Lincoln High School.

Boyle soon raised $350. He said he asked students for their pocket change and was pleasantly surprised to get $20 bills instead.

Beth Boyle, Brandon's mother, said her son could relate to the Penneys' experience because his younger brother had a similar childhood illness.

"I had no idea he was doing this," Boyle said. "He took this initiative on his own, and I'm proud of that."

Meanwhile, Tracee Cole, another PATT committee member, said she mentioned the fundraiser at her church, Lincoln Community Methodist Church, which collected more than $120.

The total amount raised for the Penneys was $1,541, Penhorwood said.

It turned out that PATT didn't need to buy a webcam because a parent in Neill's class donated a camera, while the school district picked up the cost for the other one, Penhorwood said. McGehee said the camera was under $100.

For Seaton, the most difficult part of the new set-up is preparing lessons in advance because Neill needs to have materials so he can work along with the class. The materials are dropped off at Neill's house and picked up at week's end.

Regardless of the work, Seaton said she does it because "he is my student, and I am his teacher. My job is to educate."

"It's been amazing," she said. "I have teachers coming to ask me if I need help. My children are learning a great lesson on having compassion for someone else. I feel as though we are pioneering something Lincoln should be very proud of."